Back to the Basics - Giving Back and Changing Direction

In a community where everyone pitches in, a newly come-of-age Loxiel wants to lend a helping hand; and learns a new form along the way.

In the heart of Ninraih's jungles, the Fae created the city of Ajteire, protected from the undead by the magic of fireflies and a pact with the Kerasoka. The complex network of trees, vines, and plants helps to keep unwanted visitors out. Read more...
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Loxiel
Character
Level
03
48 / 48 HP
38 / 38 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 55c
Race: Fae and Shapeshifter
Class: Rogue
Posts: 47
Joined: September 13th, 2019, 3:14 am
Has thanked: 5 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Back to the Basics - Giving Back and Changing Direction

Post by Loxiel »

"Well, that's very noble of you, Lox," Mistress Karya said. She was sat in her own room sipping tea and pouring over a book when he had knocked. "But just because you have come of age a few weeks ago, doesn't mean you have to go putting yourself to work right away!"

The young Changeling stood before her. He had always been thinking of this moment, long before he had turned sixteen. "But everyone contributes. If I just keep taking and giving nothing back, then what use am I?"

Karya took a sip of her tea and smiled at him. "Dear Loxiel, no one is about to throw you out of the city just yet!" She placed her mug down and turned in her chair to face him. "What is it you exactly want to do? Forgive me, but you don't have much skill in harvesting or masonry ..."

"I can hunt." He said, earnestly.

The old Elf raised a brow at that. "Hunt? What would you hunt? I hate to point out the obvious, but you are not a hunter, Loxiel. Hunting requires a great deal of training and gear, both of which you don't have."

"I may not be able to bring in anything big," he conceded. "But I can bring in small game! As a hawk, I can catch rabbits and bird fowl, and anything else I can handle in that form." It wasn't a brag; he had managed to catch a rabbit a few days ago. He had felt bad for the little creature when he had resumed his normal form, but when he was in hawk-form, the instincts of the animal a Changeling shifted into could be quite strong. "And after Inya ... I mean, Guardswoman Inya taught me some skills, I am capable of leaving the city and getting back quite safely."

"Well, you are grown now. Just because you are staying here does not mean I am in charge of you any more." She pointed out. "But I will caution you to stay safe. I've had you since you were a little child, only just able to walk; I would be a poor foster parent if I didn't counsel and worry!" She gave him a smile. "You should go and see the Huntmaster, if your mind is set. But don't be too disheartened if he or she turns you away. They too look out for the welfare of their charges, which you will become if they accept your offer of assistance."

Loxiel bowed his head, respectfully. "Thank you, Mistress."

***

The Fae Huntmaster was rather young, but he had an air of confidence and proficiency about him that made Loxiel not think any less of him because of his age. He was hardly one to judge, besides. "You're not a hunter." He said, pointedly.

"Not officially. But I'll have no problem bringing you rabbits, wild chickens and other fowl." He said, quickly. "And when I master other forms ...I'm a Changeling - I can take the form of a hawk for now, but I can ..."

The Fae waved his hand. "What you might be able to do in the future is of little concern to me. It is what you can do now." The Fae expanded his wings and fluttered a short distance away, coming to land near a table with a large bark ledger, which he looked over for a few minutes. "I suppose we can never have too much chicken," he said, after a moment. "And any help is welcome. Though I admit to being a little reluctant to send a novice out alone."

"Mistress Inya has been teaching me about forestry, tracking, and even survival techniques," Loxiel countered. "And if there is anything out there that could hurt me, I'll simply fly back." He tried not to sound too pleading. "I really want a chance to do my bit and give back. I don't really have anything else I can do, as of now. I would really appreciate an opportunity to -"

"Prove yourself?" The Fae smiled as he fluttered back and landed in front of Loxiel. "You don't need my permission to go hunting, but if you are asking to do this officially on merit, then you become my responsibility. I need not remind you of the rules? Back before sunrise, never engage an enemy, and so on."

Loxiel straightened up. "No, sir. I know what to do out there, I promise."

The Huntmaster gave a short laugh. "If you say so, boy."

***

This should have been a lot easier!

Perched on a branch, Loxiel-as-hawk's head switched from this way to that, using his sharp vision to watch every twitch or movement in the space around him. Flying over the treetops had proven an immediate failure as the canopy was so thick even the eyes of a hunting bird could not pierce. And so he had taken to winding his way through the jungle itself. This brought up problems of it's own. Flapping from perch to perch was hardly a quiet affair, and no doubt anything able to evade predators would hear him coming. Also, it was tiring, and when he got too tired, he'd have to shift back to his own form and that would render his efforts useless. He had skill in hunting without the aid of sharp vision, wings and talons.

Had the rabbit he caught just been plain luck? It was a humbling feeling. He had been so proud! Now he felt foolish.

But, it had only been a few hours and he had started early, so there was plenty of time in the ...

His head flicked down as he saw movement. He sat completely still, his gaze fixed on a small bush, whose leaves were moving. There was no wind down here, so it had to be something! Whatever it was, it wasn't large. But it didn't matter. Even if he went back with a single rabbit, then he would have least done one thing, today.

After a minute or so, a head popped out from the leaves, looking this way and that (luckily not up at him), before scurrying out in short bursts. A squirrel.

If a hawk could sigh, Loxiel would have done so. He could only imagine the look of disdain and condescension on the Huntmaster's face if he came back with just a squirrel. Still, it was practice if nothing else. Catching something as nimble as a squirrel was a learning opportunity, he told himself. And besides, nothing else seemed to be out today!

His forked feathers spread and his body tensed, as if he were a spring, tightly coiled. When the rodent's body relaxed, as if sure it was safe to come out, Loxiel dropped from the branch towards his prey, wings spreading out and forward as he reached out with his talons.

Then he stood on the mossy jungle floor, and the squirrel was nowhere in sight.

***

Though he really, really didn't want to, Loxiel had to report back to the Huntmaster on his return. It was the rules. If he had just slipped back to the Home to cover his shame, he would have done so without hesitation. But if a hunter reports that he is leaving to hunt, then he must report back or else be assumed to be lost, in trouble, or dead.

As he approached, Inya's words echoed in his mind. "No one hits the bullseye with the first arrow." Which he repeated like a mantra in his head, trying to keep him from feeling too sorry for himself. "Huntmaster," he said, when he approached. He was dismayed to see an Elf haul a large doe over to another table where a Fae stood, presumably ready to skin it, and so forth. "I am just reporting back, sir."

The Huntmaster barely looked up. "And what bounty have you to offer us, boy?"

Aside from the irritation of constantly being called 'boy', despite his age, he also had to face the humiliation of reporting back: "I didn't catch anything today, sir. Maybe tomorrow will be better."

"As you will." The Fae said, dismissively. "You can come and try as much as you like. Also, maybe give some thought to other crafts better suited to someone with your ... experience."

Loxiel's hands tightened into fists at the sly jab, but he nodded his head and headed for home.

***

Had he not been in hawk-form, the process of killing the wild chicken he had finally caught (after three days on the hunt), Loxiel would probably have had a harder time doing what he must, but instincts tended to blur in shifters when they were in certain forms, and so as his talons sank deep into the squawking bird's flesh, his beak put an end to that with the throat being pulled open.

Loxiel was elated. It was only one chicken, of course, but it was a big one, and he had done it! This had been a successful hunt, and it was not even midday! Gripping tight, Loxiel spread his wings and took a few heavy beats to get him off the ground, but the weight of the chicken, which was definitely heavier then his hawk-form, meant that he soon dropped back down knowing that he would have to shift back to his own form to carry it. He wasn't too far from the city, so that didn't bother him, but he did grimace when his hand held the limp, bleeding chicken in his hand as he made his way back towards Ajteire.

Since it was still early(ish), he decided he'd put the chicken somewhere safe, and go back to the hunt. He'd brought some food, as he hadn't done so last time and it had left him feeling drained. So he tracked back to the tree (silently thanking Inya for her lessons so that he might be able to find the spot in this jungle!) where he had stashed his bag. Climbing up with a dead chicken wasn't the easiest thing, but he was agile enough to get up and set down his spoils. For a moment, he pitied the poor thing, lifeless and bloody; it had not be a quick end for the chicken. If only he had had some altitude, he could have stunned it before the kill ... but alas, he'd have to get used to it. Keeping the dead bird away from his bag, he grabbed some biscuits and munched them down quickly, as the kill beside him didn't inspire much of an appetite.

Then he was off.

***

Another walk back, this time with a rabbit hanging lifeless from his hands, clutched by it's long ears, the afternoon was failing and the darkness would deepen. It was time he returned.

But, as he approached the tree where he had left the bird, a noise caught his ear.

Loxiel immediately moved into a crouch. Watching the tree a few feet away. Something was up there ...

Glancing around, he managed to find another tree, with a mass of vines looking like it was strangling the thing, he dropped the rabbit and made his way up as quietly as he could, which made it slow going. When he got to a point where he could see what it was, he stopped, holding fast, and turned to see, not any undead or demon, but a cat; smaller than that of a panther or leopard, but bigger than the tame things that folks kept as pets back in the city. This was a wildcat ... dark, spotted fur, sleek, long slender tail and small tufts on it's ears. It was the same kind of cat he had seen before ... and it was eating his chicken!

His first thought was to chase the thing away, and he was about to do just that ... but this was the same kind of cat he had been studying to try and master a new form. He couldn't waste a chance to do so more.

And so he watched.

***

Loxiel took a deep breath. He stood in a small clearing, his bag and the rabbit off to the side (the chicken had been sacrificed for this very moment), and closing his eyes, he focused on the cat. What it meant to be the cat. He thought of every detail he could, the way it held itself, it's form, body, movements, the way it's ears turns this way and that, those green eyes with the slit pupils, that widened as it would look around, checking, just as he would in hawk-form ... he took another deep breath, then leapt forward.

The sound of agony that came from his lips was a strange one. Half growl, half cry, he fell to the ground, panting. His body wracked with pain, his heart threatening to burst. He tried to put a hand to his chest ... but couldn't.

Because he was a cat.

Pain and elation collided within him. This new form was like wearing boots that were hard and painful, and though no one had ever taught him much about his ability, he had known from learning how to shift into hawk-form that, just like new boots, it would take some time before it fitted him. He held on as long as he could, trying to access the new senses that he would possess in this form, but the pain ... it overrode all of that, and soon, he lay on the floor, breathing heavily, back in his human-like form.

***

Loxiel had cared very little at the snide look the Huntmaster had given him when he had handed over the single rabbit, nor the remark on how "terrible" he looked. He was both incredibly happy and completely exhausted. That night he slept so deep that he missed breakfast and didn't report back to the Huntmaster. Instead, after a good meal and a long walk (he wasn't going to waste energy on his hawk-form, today), he went out alone and once again began to wear his new form in. It was painful, and exhausting, but he knew persistence was key. He would master this new form. He had to.

***

A month later, Loxiel no longer was treated to the withering looks of the Huntmaster (he always seemed to get the same one, which he silently cursed his luck for), but mild surprise. He began returning with various fowl, rabbits, and even an unlucky pheasant. He made several trips back and forth each day, and soon, the Huntmaster treated him with slightly more respect. True, he was always tired beyond belief, but each day it got a little easier. Stalking his prey from the ground with the silence the paws of his cat-form offered him yielded much better results. After a few more weeks, never missing a day, Loxiel soon to got to be called by his name, instead of just 'boy', and though he might never bring in a stag or anything large, his contributions were welcomed, and he even got the occasional nod from actual hunters.

Loxiel was changing, and he felt a little less inferior because of it.
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